18 Items Tagged

Witch Burnings

Forres, Scotland

Forres Witches Stone

A reminder of the gruesome punishments delivered to those who were found guilty during Scotland's witchcraft trials.

Antwerpen, Belgium

Heksensteen

A curious stone in a public square commemorates the victims of witch-burning.

Heksestein (The Witch Stone)

A memorial to 350 people burned at the stake for witchcraft.

Sion, Switzerland

Tour des Sorciers

Visit a prison tower used during witch tribunals.

Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.

Sarah Durn October 31, 2023

George Jacobs, whose witchcraft trial is shown here in Thomkins H. Matteson's 1855 painting, was one of 19 people hanged as a witch during the 1692 Salem witch trials.

The Salem Witch Trials Actually Happened in Danvers, Massachusetts

Tensions between Salem and Danvers were there from the start—contributing to the ensuing witch hysteria.

Theresa McKinney October 26, 2023

An Indigenous Mexican healer, known as a <em>curandera</em>, performs a ritual at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, a living history museum in New Mexico.

Podcast: Witches and Ritual Around the Globe

Explore the mysteries of Mexico's Indigenous healers and Denmark's gruesome witch burnings with Condé Nast Traveler's Women Who Travel Podcast.

The Podcast Team July 3, 2023

There were many hotspots of alleged witch activity in Central Scotland.

Explore This Map of More Than 3,000 Scottish Witches

An Edinburgh University project uses data to track the victims of Scottish "witch-prickers" in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Frank Jacobs May 5, 2023

In 2015, this effigy of the Pagan goddess Marzanna met a fiery end.

In Poland, Drowning the Pagan Goddess Marzanna Ushers in Spring

A straw effigy of the winter goddess is burned and then submerged in chilly waters.

Sarah Laskow May 3, 2023

Torre Federici from across Piazza della Torre

Torre Federici

A family accused of witchcraft once called this medieval tower home.

The Black Castle in South Queensferry, Scotland.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Black Castle

This severely painted building has a twisted connection to the witch hunts of the 1640s.

Fye Bridge

Norwich, England

Fye Bridge

One of the oldest bridges in Norwich was used during the English witch trials and is said to be haunted.

Cavalese, Italy

Banco della Reson

The community gathered on this stone table to make important decisions, but it was also the site of witch trials.

The skull of Lilias Adie, an accused witch, is superimposed over her face in this 2018 reconstruction by forensic artist Christopher Rynn.

Scottish Authorities Are Trying to Reunite a 'Witch' With Her Skull

Lilias Adie's head has been missing since 1938.

Sabrina Imbler September 9, 2019

Schloss Liebegg (Liebegg Castle)

Gränichen, Switzerland

Hexenmuseum Schweiz

The excellent Swiss museum of witchcraft is led by a modern witch.

Dundee, Scotland

Grissel Jaffray Memorial

A pair of mosaics marks the spot where the last accused witch of Dundee was put to death.

The memorial stone.

Kramfors N, Sweden

Bålberget Memorial

This serene wooded hilltop has a dark history as the climactic point of the Swedish witch trials.

The Witchery

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Witchery

Near the former site of numerous witch burnings, this lavish Edinburgh mainstay pays homage to Scotland's brutal history.